Columns

Dr. Steve Stewart had a great opinion piece in the Phil Nobel Gazette (TLN) last week.
Dr. Stewart speaks the truth. The change will not come from our leaders, but from the people. The only true option is to return to the Judeo-Christian foundation of our Founding Fathers.
I do not believe that a great revival will happen, because the Bible does not prophesy a revival. America has entered the post-Christian age.

In South Carolina, many state agencies that carry out executive functions are nonetheless run by boards appointed by the legislature and the governor. Typically when one of these agencies has major problems, legislative leaders propose making the agency a “cabinet” agency.

Scottish poet Robert Burns once wrote, “To see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a blunder free us.”
Here’s a letter I received from a reader in Somerville, Mass. He asked me not to use his name.
Dear Mr. Noble:

Ronald Hopkins’ letter in Wednesday’s Lancaster News was in criticism of Phil Noble’s previous column concerning South Carolina state government being corrupt. His points may have been well taken except for one with which I must take issue: He asked, “Where did that garbage come from… psychology 101?”

Donald Trump says it every day: “Let’s make America great again.” The slogan adorns his hats.
Hillary Clinton criticizes Trump for that, insisting America is already great. But she used the phrase herself in 2007, while making her case against the Bush administration.
After a decade and a half of trouble on many fronts, most of us would love to see America restored to a former state of greatness – economic, military, political, moral or some combination of those.

The true test of political leadership is making the hard, long-term and right decision instead of the easy, short term and wrong decision.
Said differently, do our political leaders genuinely work to solve problems or do they just kick the can down the road?
Unfortunately for our state, kicking the can down the road has been the unofficial sport of the State House crowd for nearly a generation. Can-kicking results from politicians who refuse to look down the road farther than the next election. For too many, making tough decisions is just not in their nature.

Most taxpayers would agree that it’s OK for the governor or other top officials to use state-owned aircraft for high-priority trips. Yet records reveal that South Carolina’s state planes are routinely used by mid-level state personnel and legislators for arguably non-essential purposes.
The S.C. Aeronautics Commission posts monthly flight logs and bimonthly flight manifests that list not only who has been using the state aircraft, but where they went, the purpose of their flight, and the total cost, in addition to general flight information.

In a review of state agency expenses, The Nerve found that in fiscal 2015-16 the state spent more than $989,000 on catering and meals.
This total does not include charges from the S.C. Public Service Authority, the S.C. Education Lottery Commission, the S.C. Jobs-Economic Development Authority, and state-supported colleges and universities. The spending at these agencies is not covered by the Comptroller General’s website.

My husband owns a small business, and from time to time I’ve heard him say, “You can’t take a pee anymore without a government permission slip.”
Please excuse the slight vulgarity. I bring it up because, in my line of work, it’s almost literally true.

With his death Saturday at age 96, we reflect on the life of former S.C. Sen. John Drummond, who served our state and our nation well.
A native of Ninety Six, John Drummond was born in 1919 to a family of millworkers, like so many other S.C. families of that era. Called to serve our country in World War II, he was a pilot and paratrooper, acquiring the nickname “Ace” due to his flying prowess.